Dixon’s Knigge breaks out in a big way in Homecoming win for third-ranked Dukes

DIXON – Landon Knigge had his breakout game of the season Friday night.

Dixon’s junior tailback ran for 335 yards and four touchdowns on homecoming as the Class 4A No. 3 Dukes beat Rockford Lutheran 56-13 in Big Northern Conference play.

Dixon (5-0, 5-0 BNC) has yet to allow more than two touchdowns in a game this season and has scored 35 points or more in every game.

Knigge set the tone on his first carry for 33 yards, finishing Dixon’s opening drive with a 26-yard score and 76 yards on the ground. He found the end zone again on the next carry, scoring a 39-yard touchdown after Dixon forced a three-and-out.

“I’m going to thank my line for tonight’s game,” Knigge said, “because they’re really just pushing people, and I was just running through the holes and doing what I do.”

Knigge’s rushing yardage tied for the second-best single-game performance in program history – and the highest total by a back not named Arthur Cox, who had games of 367 and 335 rushing yards in 2016.

Devon Wallace, Cullen Shaner and Knigge each had rushing touchdowns in the second quarter as Dixon built a 35-13 lead heading into halftime. Shaner was named homecoming king during the break, sprinting back to the sideline to replace his crown with his helmet.

Shaner threw only six passes in the game, hitting Eli Davidson for a 20-yard touchdown in the third quarter to make it 49-13 after he scored his second rushing score earlier in the quarter. Knigge finished his night in the third quarter with a 41-yard touchdown to make it 56-13 to invoke a running clock.

Defensively, Dixon stepped up when it needed to. The Dukes blocked a punt, Knigge had a big sack, and Gabe Rowley had a pass deflection on a deep ball and an interception.

Dixon held the athletic combination of Daniel and David Ballard in check, but they showed they can score quickly on any given play. David Ballard caught a 24-yard touchdown pass in the in the first quarter, and his 56-yard rushing touchdown helped make it 28-14 with 3:44 left in the second quarter. But the Crusaders (3-2, 3-2) would get no closer.

“We told the kids all week, that’s the most athletic team we’ve played so far,” coach Jared Shaner said. “They have three or four guys that are faster than anybody we have on the field. And they could make plays, and they did make a few of them. We were fortunate, I think, just to hold them to a couple scores, because they can get loose on you.”

Shaner said Knigge is a “tough kid” after his big game.

“He runs the ball really, really hard, has good vision,” Shaner said of Knigge, who is listed at 5-foot-9, 178 pounds. “If you don’t square him up and tackle him, he’ll run through arm tackles. He was a workhorse tonight, that’s for sure.”

Knigge had 20 carries as Shaner had the second-most with five. Knigge came into the game with 173 yards rushing on 15 carries. His average run improved to 13.7 yards after Friday night.

“We have some weapons on offense,” Shaner said. “So whatever’s working, we kind of roll with it. They did a good job in their secondary taking away some of our pass stuff, so [it was] feed Landon and kind of go with that.”

Lutheran was coming off wins over Stilman Valley and Rock Falls following a 49-18 loss to Byron. The Crusaders beat Winnebago, which Dixon plays next week on the road, 49-6.

“We did feel like we wanted to establish the run,” Shaner said. “When you get going early and he ripped off a couple long ones to start, it’s kind of like, don’t be too cute. Keep feeding him the ball and go from there.”

Gusty wind conditions didn’t hurt that strategy, either.

One area for improvement for Dixon in the game is penalties. Both teams had personal fouls throughout the game and the first half took nearly 90 minutes despite being mostly running plays.

“That’s just the way the game went, I think,” Shaner said. “There was a little bit of everything, really.”

Shaner said it’s been a good start for the team, but there are always mistakes to correct.

“Don’t get me wrong, it feels great to win your homecoming football game 56-13 and all that,” he said, “but ultimately what we want to do is continue to come out every day in practice and get better and better. And when you do those things consistently, then the wins take care of themselves.”